Op, you have plenty of advance notice that the holiday is coming up. Start thinking about how you can do next year better.

What makes YOU happy? What is something that you look forward doing?

FWIW, we saw a Sunday morning service on the sand at the beach yesterday. What a nice way to hear an Easter message. Afterwards take a walk on the beach then relax in your chair and catch some rays.

Next year go hang out with old people at the senior home. You won't feel lonely and you'll be doing something productive.

Anonymous wrote:From the looks of my neighborhood, all anyone did today was yard work!

As a non-Christian, Easter is always a lonely day. As is Christmas.

Time to convert

When will people learn to stay off of Facebook? You invite misery, so I am almost out of sympathy. You dig yourself a wound and pour salt in it. What you have is more than many, and yet you feel sorry for yourself and nothing is good enough.

And what does Easter mean to you? I'm not Christian, so I only celebrate the candy. We don't do anything for Easter. If Easter means so much to you, with the new outfits and meals and family and maybe even church, maybe you should consider how Jesus would have looked at your self pity. Like, hey, I've died and risen or whatever, and you're whining about what? You're full of envy? Isn't that a sin or something? You're lacking gratitude for what you have? That doesn't seem so good either.

But I'm not Christian, so maybe I don't understand Easter or the Jesus thing and how perhaps they may be connected.

Do you get this overwrought on other holidays? April 28 is Arbor Day. Will you be okay? Stay off of Facebook. Plant a tree!

My day was quite sad as well. Estranged from most of my deadbeat family, spent some of the day with my sister but it was lonely and reminded me of the fact I don't have a close family. It's hard to take and I am dreading the 'Did you have a lovely Easter?' commemts tomorrow. I always have to lie and say it was brilliant but it never is.

OP, never go on social media during holidays if you feel like this.

It can be emotional suicide.
Trust me....Many miserable people post pics saying how wonderful everything is, blah blah....

It is to keep up appearances.
I know friends who do this & even admit they are being phony.

No one in their right mind is going to post any truth.
Because fantasy is always better than reality.
Ask anyone.

Anyway I also dread holidays for the same reasons that you do.
So glad along with others we all are in great company.

My mother died on Easter day a few years ago. My father is no longer alive, no more grandparents, grown kids don't call and we never get to see our grand kids unless we hand over money. LOTS of money. Siblings wrote me off long ago. That's life I guess. Husband's parents and grandparents gone too. Siblings live in another state.

So my husband and I baked a ham, sauteed squash, had dirty rice and corn on the cob. I made a scratch carrot cake and we watched the whole season of The Walking Dead. All 8 episodes.

You gotta make your own happiness sometimes.

Yes. Daughter's husband announced with no ceremony that he is leaving her. No discussion allowed. She's sad, scared, and we just all cried. Yes, he is an asshole.

Sort of. My grandmother died back in January, so this was the first major holiday without her. She loved this time of year.

Well a friend of mine spent today recovering from a stomach flu and caring for two young kids while his spouse moved out, so...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow what's with everyone trying to push their Christianity in this thread? Easter is a cultural holiday as much as it's a religious holiday at this point.

It's always rude and futile to try and push your religion on others. It makes people think less of you. Why do it?

Not pp, but who is pushing the religion? The OP opened a topic about Easter, which is a Christian holiday. So, she initiated the discussion about her feelings on the Christian holiday. If that makes you uncomfortable, just skip this subject.

Agree. if you weren't Christian why would Easter have any meaning such that it made you sad? You can certainly celebrate Easter without going to church, but people who practice other religions don't celebrate Easter either religiously or culturally (what does that even mean - eating jelly beans and peeps?).

OP, it sounds like you need to make plans for these events that trigger these feelings. Maybe plan a weekend away, or go visit one of your kids, or schedule a day or museums or hiking or something. We went to the Nats game today. Lots of fun.

Why are you allowing yourself to feel this way?
What if you compared your life with starving people or war refugees?

I'm an only child who grew up without any extended family. Now we live halfway across the world from our parents and my husband's siblings.

I'm content I have a roof over my head, and food to eat, and my spouse and kids are alive and well. We can even afford some treats now and then.

Reflect on the many good things in your life, OP.

OP, if we are friends on FB you saw my family pictures in cute outfits with smiles on our faces. You did not see me take an anti anxiety pill this morning because I can't handle going to the church I grew up in and was married in because it is also now where my father's funeral was held. You aren't alone and many of us struggle on holidays.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easter is not a cultural holiday, it's a Christian holiday filled with pagan filth.

It is indeed a cultural holiday. You should be happy about that, because it means that Christianity still has a strong foothold in this country. Another generation and you will probably be bemoaning the fact that most people ignore it.

Btw, that "pagan filth" goes back farther than Christianity, so I'd say it's more a pagan holiday that was filled with Christian...filth? than the other way around.

What culture and the country are you talking about? I am not an American, but we do celebrate Easter.

Anonymous wrote:Easter is not a cultural holiday, it's a Christian holiday filled with pagan filth.

It is indeed a cultural holiday. You should be happy about that, because it means that Christianity still has a strong foothold in this country. Another generation and you will probably be bemoaning the fact that most people ignore it.

Btw, that "pagan filth" goes back farther than Christianity, so I'd say it's more a pagan holiday that was filled with Christian...filth? than the other way around.